With a decent entry and ever-improving scores reflecting how the discipline has gone from strength to strength in the last 25 years.

“The competition, the people and the venue couldn’t be better. I love coming to Ireland,” was how visiting British judge Donald Kear summed up the atmosphere at Dressage Ireland’s Winter Finals.

Thanks to Dane Rawlins of Dressage at Hickstead, the top four combinations in each championship once again qualified for the Hickstead Masters, which will take place at the All England showgrounds in June.

Unsurpassable all weekend, New Zealander Amanda Goldsbury and the Master Imp-sired Troytin earned the highest accolade of the show. Improving from their victory in Saturday’s Prix St George championship, they were awarded a massive 74.539% to add the Inter I title to their tally.

Speaking afterwards, Goldsbury said: “Troy is just an incredible horse, he keeps on giving more and more in each test and I feel so lucky to ride him. He is a true testament that there is a place for the Irish horse at high level dressage.”

The Meath-based rider is aiming the gelding at the Masters at Hickstead, as well as some other British premier league shows, but she is also busy due to her coaching commitments. Her student Holly Malone-Morrissey finished fourth in the preliminary category one championship with Grantstown Surprise, and this combination was a highlight for judge Wouter Liekens.

“It is nice to see promising young riders with such nice young horses,” he said after the class.

Another rider setting her sights on premier league shows this summer is Carolyn Mellor of Vision Sport Horses. Featuring at the business end of the leaderboard all weekend, she scored a double at advanced medium and advanced with her own VSH Florenciano. The chesnut gelding’s stable-mates also earned their tickets to Hickstead, with VSH Beaulero filling the reserve spot in the medium championship and VSH Zugaro in the top three in both small tour classes.

Second to Mellor in the advanced medium, and reversing the order to land the top spot in the medium championship, were Belinda Brereton and her own Captain Negro C. By Negro, the sire of Charlotte Dujardin’s record-breaking Valegro, the gelding surpassed his rider’s expectations throughout the weekend, especially as he had only done two advanced mediums prior to the show. However, scores of 68.75% and 67.007% kept them within a mark of Mellor and VSH Florenciano, and their winning average in the medium equivalent broke the 70% barrier.

A member of the Irish team at last year’s Home International in Rowallan, Scotland, Brereton bought Captain Negro C as a two-year-old from Carl Hester.

“I train with Carl, and every time he sees Captain Negro he wants him back. I have to check the horse is still in the lorry when I leave his yard, just in case,” she laughed.

West Waterford-based Anna Dangerfield was third, while fourth, fifth and sixth places were taken by the three Irish pony riders already qualified for the European Championships in Millstreet; Katie Burns, Linnea Larkin and Alana Cazabon Sullivan.

Repeating their previous achievement of both winning the Under-25 championship and earning the highest score of the show were Rachel Dowley and Mickey Purcell’s seven-year-old Hannoverian gelding Cadens. A new personal best of 77.037% in the young rider class saw them finish over 5% ahead of Laura Wilson and Aussolas Chocolat, and they went on to take the elementary championship title on Sunday with an average of 73.528%.

Speaking afterwards, Dowley said she was “delighted” with her son of Hochadel.

“I’d like to move up a level with him in the near future, but unfortunately university exams might get in the way.”

Elementary

Finishing second at elementary was Siobhan Cazabon-Sullivan with Maverick S, while Maggy Williams and Homegrown Asterix were third. It was a good weekend for the mother and daughter Cazabon Sullivan team, as on top of multiple placings, Alana Cazabon Sullivan and Blackwood Dancer were awarded the Abbeyleix Owen perpetual trophy for the highest placed Connemara pony at the championships.

The Donie MacNamara-trained Tara Oliver topped the novice category two championship, on board Sergio, relegating Ryan Hopper and Keeford Freckleton Montrose to second place. Mark Robinson dominated proceedings in the category one equivalent for riders who have never competed at medium level or above, taking the title with Jovian Moon and finishing fifth with Copshawholm Bobby Ravel. Ellen McKeown and Milky Way were second.

In the prelim category two championship, Marguerite McSweeney and Flagranti were second to Petra Larkin. Riding Dancier’s Design UCS, a five-year-old by Dancier, Larkin rose from sixth place on Saturday to top Sunday’s class on a huge mark of 74.348%, which was enough to earn them the championship title. The eye-catching skewbald was imported by the Larkin family as a two-year-old, and following this win is now for sale.

Less than 1% separated the top five combinations in the prelim category one championship. Sharon Watters with Menno Fan Wetsenbosch edged out first day leaders Eimear White and Weather The Storm with the highest overall mark of 71.008%. The black Friesian stallion was another to catch Wouter Lieken’s eye, and the combination now has two tickets to Hickstead after finishing fourth in the novice as well.

In recognition of Dressage Ireland’s silver jubilee year, winners were presented with rugs embroidered with silver thread, and riders and officials praised the organisers and, in particular, chairperson Anne Cahill and secretary Gerd Liekens Schurmanns. Visiting judges commented on the bright future Irish dressage looks set to enjoy. Of the lower levels, judge Carole Thornton noticed the “decent standard of riding and many horses with potential”, while Donald Kear also complimented the “talented horses” and pointed out that the next step is for riders to learn to “be brave, ride forwards and show themselves off at their best.”